So, i got word a little while back about the bonus percentage that folks got for 2006 at my old company --- it was like a record high bonus percentage (I have my theories about why but we won't get into all that.) I couldn't help but feel a little upset. I had actually forgone a half year's bonus when I changed jobs last year and then, on top of that, I could have had a huge bonus if I stayed......
But then I started thinking......"how would I really quantify the piece of mind that I have as result of my job change?" I was so unhappy at my old job, unmotivated by working on trials and projects that would only end up getting cancelled when it was time for the company to actually pony up real money to support it..... Instead, I am working at a new company in a new division that is viewed as the future of the company, that the company is reinvesting it's profits into to make it a success. I am surrounded by a bunch of people who are hardworking and engaged instead of just working for a paycheck and finding every way to not do anything more than the basics......
And really, it is the little things that show the difference. People care about their surroundings, they clean up after themselves in the kitchen and clean the microwaves out if they spill something, the mail people take down any mail that is left in the outbox, even if it is personal mail, the refrigerator gets cleaned out every week....... Now, none of these things seem like big deals but it was the opposite of how it was at my old company and it indicative, I think, of a general difference in attitude that I really appreciate.
I was talking to my mom on the phone, when a co-worker, who also used to work at my old company, called to confirm that the bonus % someone had told her about was really true. When I clicked back over, I was telling my mom about it and she made this comment about me being much happier now. I know I am happier now but I didnt really know it was that evident! So how do you quantify piece of mind? Guess money really can't buy you happiness.....
Monday, March 12, 2007
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Feeling political.....The state of the Republican ticket for 2008 presidential race....
So I was watching Bill Maher last night. He may be irreverent at times but he really hits the nail on the head at times......
This is why I decided that politics and a government career was not for me..... At least in business no one professes to be anyone's moral compass.....
This is why I decided that politics and a government career was not for me..... At least in business no one professes to be anyone's moral compass.....
Annoyed......
So, this daylight savings time change is just another reason why I am annoyed with this moronic president that we have. Not only has he turned a trade surplus into a gaping, record setting trade deficit, used short-sided, sophomoric and duplicitous rationale to plunge us into a war analogous to a 21st century Vietnam, and set US diplomatic relations back 25 years, he's got to mess with time too!?!?
Now, the rationale for this change is the "energy savings" of less electricity used since there is more natural light during the hours that people are awake (yeah, I dont really get this either) and the potential economic lift that could possible come from more daylight in the evenings that would encourage people to be out, about and spending money during this additional time of light.
Oh come on! Talk about grasping at straws! How about the money that companies are having to spend in overtime to reprogram computer systems and apply patches to "accomodate" a change that has been automated for years?? I understand to benefit of DST in general (I'll talk more about that in a future post) but how about trying applying some real fiscal policy instead of grasping for lame meaningless PR attempts at improving the economy...... But then again, that would be contrary to anything that has happened during his two terms as president. Why expect it to change now?
I can't believe this is the guy folks elected to represent our country.....
Can we just get him out of here before he does any more damage???
Now, the rationale for this change is the "energy savings" of less electricity used since there is more natural light during the hours that people are awake (yeah, I dont really get this either) and the potential economic lift that could possible come from more daylight in the evenings that would encourage people to be out, about and spending money during this additional time of light.
Oh come on! Talk about grasping at straws! How about the money that companies are having to spend in overtime to reprogram computer systems and apply patches to "accomodate" a change that has been automated for years?? I understand to benefit of DST in general (I'll talk more about that in a future post) but how about trying applying some real fiscal policy instead of grasping for lame meaningless PR attempts at improving the economy...... But then again, that would be contrary to anything that has happened during his two terms as president. Why expect it to change now?
I can't believe this is the guy folks elected to represent our country.....
Can we just get him out of here before he does any more damage???
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Word of the Day: Eponymous
I learned a new word today that I have really never heard of before..... Thought i would share....
Eponymous: An eponymous person is the person referred to by the eponym. In contemporary English, the term eponymous is often used to mean self-titled. The word eponym is often used for the thing titled.
Example: Corinne Bailey Rae released her eponymous debut album in February 2006....
Hmph!......
Eponymous: An eponymous person is the person referred to by the eponym. In contemporary English, the term eponymous is often used to mean self-titled. The word eponym is often used for the thing titled.
Example: Corinne Bailey Rae released her eponymous debut album in February 2006....
Hmph!......
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Coming back to bite you.....
Here is my little Internet PSA, especially for those of you who are TV-less! :-) I was watching Good Morning America this morning and two stories really underpinned the affect that the internet can have on a person's professional reputation.....
The first was about the lopsided policies of American Idol with regards to treatment of contestants who had "racy" pictures appear on the Internet when they were contestants. Most of us remember Frenchie from Season 2 of Idol who was booted from the show for photos of her, topless and in lingerie, that surfaced on the internet. Now, Antonella Barba, a prettier, skinnier, whiter, and less talented contestant is being supported by American Idol and has remained on the show despite a number of riske and "Girls Gone Wild" like pictures that are bouncing around the web.
The second was a story about how a Yale law student with perfect credentials found that she could not get job interviews and callbacks because of false statements made about her by "friends" on the internet. Reportedly 11-33% of employers do internet searches on job candidates.
Both of these stories really underpin how "unanonymous" the internet can be and how what you post can come back and bite you. While most of these hard lessons are being learned by a younger, MySpace generation who is manically sharing intimate details of their lives online, everyone should be aware of what the internet says about you. There is even a name for this -- narcisurfing! Now, I have googled my name before just to see what is out there about me. I am sure many of you have done so as well. But I was a little taken aback when a new friend of mine made a comment to me about a blue dress I wore in a wedding many years before we met and had never spoken about. So, even if you have done this before, as internet search engines become more robust and refined, the results that come up may change. I now see, in addition to the wedding pictures my friend mentioned, information from my high school alumni website coming up when I search my name, which wasn't there before. Now, none of this worries me personally but it is something to be mindful of......
Also, consider that your internet "alias" may not be as anonymous as you think either. I am amazed by the screennames and pictures that grown women are using to represent themselves on Internet dating sites..... In these profiles, people share where they live, it is conceivable that you could be recognized by someone from you internet dating profile. I remember when I first got on an internet dating site, did a search and easily found the profile of someone that I worked with. Also, I know of people with blogs high readership that get recognized on the street in their hometown or when traveling through the pictures they have posted.
Interestingly, this issue has spawned a new set of services available to "clean up" or defend a person's internet reputation. Companies like reputationdefender.com help people identify and "destroy" negative or inaccurate content about them on the internet.
This issue gives the saying "Know thyself" a whole new meaning! Just something to think about! Enjoy your day!
The first was about the lopsided policies of American Idol with regards to treatment of contestants who had "racy" pictures appear on the Internet when they were contestants. Most of us remember Frenchie from Season 2 of Idol who was booted from the show for photos of her, topless and in lingerie, that surfaced on the internet. Now, Antonella Barba, a prettier, skinnier, whiter, and less talented contestant is being supported by American Idol and has remained on the show despite a number of riske and "Girls Gone Wild" like pictures that are bouncing around the web.
The second was a story about how a Yale law student with perfect credentials found that she could not get job interviews and callbacks because of false statements made about her by "friends" on the internet. Reportedly 11-33% of employers do internet searches on job candidates.
Both of these stories really underpin how "unanonymous" the internet can be and how what you post can come back and bite you. While most of these hard lessons are being learned by a younger, MySpace generation who is manically sharing intimate details of their lives online, everyone should be aware of what the internet says about you. There is even a name for this -- narcisurfing! Now, I have googled my name before just to see what is out there about me. I am sure many of you have done so as well. But I was a little taken aback when a new friend of mine made a comment to me about a blue dress I wore in a wedding many years before we met and had never spoken about. So, even if you have done this before, as internet search engines become more robust and refined, the results that come up may change. I now see, in addition to the wedding pictures my friend mentioned, information from my high school alumni website coming up when I search my name, which wasn't there before. Now, none of this worries me personally but it is something to be mindful of......
Also, consider that your internet "alias" may not be as anonymous as you think either. I am amazed by the screennames and pictures that grown women are using to represent themselves on Internet dating sites..... In these profiles, people share where they live, it is conceivable that you could be recognized by someone from you internet dating profile. I remember when I first got on an internet dating site, did a search and easily found the profile of someone that I worked with. Also, I know of people with blogs high readership that get recognized on the street in their hometown or when traveling through the pictures they have posted.
Interestingly, this issue has spawned a new set of services available to "clean up" or defend a person's internet reputation. Companies like reputationdefender.com help people identify and "destroy" negative or inaccurate content about them on the internet.
This issue gives the saying "Know thyself" a whole new meaning! Just something to think about! Enjoy your day!
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
The "plug-in drug"
So a recent post from Brunsli about how she doesn't own a TV has gotten me thinking about my TV habits.....
I am one person with 4 TVs in the house! This sounds a little excessive, I admit, but in my defense i still have and use the first TV I ever bought myself in 1994 or 95.... And then I bought another one in, maybe.... 200o or so. I will say that TV purchases definitely picked up when I got my house (seems like a lot of purchases pick up when you do that!) and I added 2 new ones in the past 6 months. In defense, one is for the guest room, so I have never really watched that one at all.... But the other.....well!..... It is a work of art! Guys come over and drool about watching the Superbowl on it!!
Perhaps, I am overstating this slightly. But that empty wall in my den just tapped into the inner technology lover in me...... So when the inner budget shopper in me found a great deal on a 58" rear-projection DLP HD TV (that's right, I said 58") I just had to buy it!
So, honestly, I primarily watch this TV, understandably...... And my DVR allows me to not act like a TV-obsessed freak! In fact the season pass feature allows me to catch stuff that I probably would have missed otherwise.... But the cool thing is, I can watch the shows whenever I want or feel like it, as long as I dont run out of space.... For example, I am about 5 shows behind on Lost and that is okay...... I will catch up when I get in the mood. (I just have to avoid any clues in the commercials!)
So, I think that I have this "TV thing" because I didn't have a TV in my room when I was a kid and we didn't have cable (I had to go to friend's houses for that). In fact, I saw my first music video on MTV at my friend Kathy Belcher's house in first grade.... All of these things were probably good. TV never took over my life and I was always busy with activities growing up. But TV still had a certain importance in my life because, oddly, it made me feel closer to my dad. He and I "bonded" over TV. We had similar taste in TV shows when I was growing up and I remember fondly watching "Miami Vice" with him every Friday night for years....... Also, I have found that in my travels to other countries (especially the extended trips), as enjoyable as they may be, they can stressful. In those cases, it is a luxury to decompress by watch good ol' familiar American TV! There is just nothing like it....
So maybe, to me, sometimes TV means comfort.... For the reasons mentioned above....
I am one person with 4 TVs in the house! This sounds a little excessive, I admit, but in my defense i still have and use the first TV I ever bought myself in 1994 or 95.... And then I bought another one in, maybe.... 200o or so. I will say that TV purchases definitely picked up when I got my house (seems like a lot of purchases pick up when you do that!) and I added 2 new ones in the past 6 months. In defense, one is for the guest room, so I have never really watched that one at all.... But the other.....well!..... It is a work of art! Guys come over and drool about watching the Superbowl on it!!
Perhaps, I am overstating this slightly. But that empty wall in my den just tapped into the inner technology lover in me...... So when the inner budget shopper in me found a great deal on a 58" rear-projection DLP HD TV (that's right, I said 58") I just had to buy it!
So, honestly, I primarily watch this TV, understandably...... And my DVR allows me to not act like a TV-obsessed freak! In fact the season pass feature allows me to catch stuff that I probably would have missed otherwise.... But the cool thing is, I can watch the shows whenever I want or feel like it, as long as I dont run out of space.... For example, I am about 5 shows behind on Lost and that is okay...... I will catch up when I get in the mood. (I just have to avoid any clues in the commercials!)
So, I think that I have this "TV thing" because I didn't have a TV in my room when I was a kid and we didn't have cable (I had to go to friend's houses for that). In fact, I saw my first music video on MTV at my friend Kathy Belcher's house in first grade.... All of these things were probably good. TV never took over my life and I was always busy with activities growing up. But TV still had a certain importance in my life because, oddly, it made me feel closer to my dad. He and I "bonded" over TV. We had similar taste in TV shows when I was growing up and I remember fondly watching "Miami Vice" with him every Friday night for years....... Also, I have found that in my travels to other countries (especially the extended trips), as enjoyable as they may be, they can stressful. In those cases, it is a luxury to decompress by watch good ol' familiar American TV! There is just nothing like it....
So maybe, to me, sometimes TV means comfort.... For the reasons mentioned above....
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Okay.... I am hooked!!
Wanted to turn you all onto a site that I was recently introduced to by my friend, Q....
I am hooked on www.last.fm!
Basically, it is a cool internet radio and music community site..... but it is more than that! The thing is.... it tracks and learns your musical taste! It allows you to
Here is my dashboard:
Very cool! Most functions are available without a subscription but a subscription is only $3/month so that is totally reasonable. And I have to say that it is really refreshing to hear different kinds of music and be exposed to artists you have not heard of before, especially in these days when traditional radio stations play the same 20 songs over and over again. And, while I have always been a lover of hip hop from way back, seems like the genre it is going in the toilet right now.... Also, the site is British so I have heard some new things that I have never heard before, even some Tribe Called Quest songs that must have only been released in Europe.
I will say, be patient about some of the searches, it take a while to learn to get what you want out of them. sometime genre searches work better than artist searches for some things.
The other thing is the online members have an ability to make it better. By tagging tracks, you help further categorize the music so searches are better....
Try it out, peeps!
I am hooked on www.last.fm!
Basically, it is a cool internet radio and music community site..... but it is more than that! The thing is.... it tracks and learns your musical taste! It allows you to
- share what you have listened to with others,
- make recommendations to friends,
- tag music,
- mark the songs you love,
- listen to playlists of songs by artists similar to ones you like,
- listen to playlists of genres of music that you like
- listen to your own personal radio station (based on your musical listening taste)
- listen to other's radio stations
Here is my dashboard:
Very cool! Most functions are available without a subscription but a subscription is only $3/month so that is totally reasonable. And I have to say that it is really refreshing to hear different kinds of music and be exposed to artists you have not heard of before, especially in these days when traditional radio stations play the same 20 songs over and over again. And, while I have always been a lover of hip hop from way back, seems like the genre it is going in the toilet right now.... Also, the site is British so I have heard some new things that I have never heard before, even some Tribe Called Quest songs that must have only been released in Europe.
I will say, be patient about some of the searches, it take a while to learn to get what you want out of them. sometime genre searches work better than artist searches for some things.
The other thing is the online members have an ability to make it better. By tagging tracks, you help further categorize the music so searches are better....
Try it out, peeps!
Alright.....I admit it!.....
I have no butt!...... Well, not to speak of.....
I mean, not the kind of butt that black men talk about when they talk about butts..... It doesn't have a mind of it's own.... It doesn't follow me when I walk...... It doesn't jiggle and it doesn't clap...
In this age of internet dating, i am finding myself eventually asked if i have a butt.... And I will just admit to you all that this is not really one of my assets.....
Now, don't get me wrong.... I like my butt, I am not so worried about it getting droopy as I get older or anything but it is just not big.....and I am black. We are supposed to have butts, right?!?!
If I was white I would probably like my butt and have issues with other things that I am happy with about myself now....
So, I guess no matter who you are, there is always something that you wish that you can change... But it is what it is..... :-)
Thanks for accommodating my ridiculous rant!
I mean, not the kind of butt that black men talk about when they talk about butts..... It doesn't have a mind of it's own.... It doesn't follow me when I walk...... It doesn't jiggle and it doesn't clap...
In this age of internet dating, i am finding myself eventually asked if i have a butt.... And I will just admit to you all that this is not really one of my assets.....
Now, don't get me wrong.... I like my butt, I am not so worried about it getting droopy as I get older or anything but it is just not big.....and I am black. We are supposed to have butts, right?!?!
If I was white I would probably like my butt and have issues with other things that I am happy with about myself now....
So, I guess no matter who you are, there is always something that you wish that you can change... But it is what it is..... :-)
Thanks for accommodating my ridiculous rant!
Monday, March 05, 2007
The Big Reveal........
Sporting a luxurious black fur coat and white tipped boots, here she is!
So, she is almost 7 months old now...... Thought I would share how the puppy is growing!! She is looking rather dog-like now! And she is a real sweetheart and a really happy dog (with only a few bad habits ;-)
Unfathomable!!
I just met someone who doesn't really like desserts...... So initially you think...... okay, some people don't like asparagus, some don't like mushrooms, some don't like onions, this person doesn't like desserts and I moved on with the conversation..... But my brain just wouldn't let it go, like it didn't really fully compute.... Desserts is a big wide catagory and I really like a lot of things in it! Like chocolate.......cheesecake......ice cream..........cookies........cakes........ And this person says that they like vegetables!
Okay, so now I just think they are from another planet!! Doesn't like desserts, likes vegatables.... Is this phone being tapped!?!?! Should I get away from the windows before I get abducted by aliens?!??Actually, I have been thinking a lot about the importance that food has in my life, especially as I talk to new people.... And this is not just an emotional eating thing.... perhaps it is more an emotional cooking thing.... I like to eat but I also really like to cook, to experiment in the kitchen and to produce something that tastes great and brings people joy. I have a bookcase exclusively for cookbooks that is overflowing and even with that I routinely look for new recipes on the internet.... I hae developed forensic tastebuds, I am always trying to isolate the ingredients in the food I taste. I get inspiration from food I taste, and ingredient I see, magazines I read, a cooking show I watch and decide to cook something new just for the fun of it........I enjoy grocery shopping........ (What!? Okay now I am sure that you really think I am crazy!) I am excited by vacuum sealers, Danish filled pancake pans and hazelnut oil..... (yes, she is a straight loon!!)
I have loved cooking since I was like 10-11, when i discovered that I could cook dinner for my parents as an anniversary gift and get them to pay for the ingredients! ;-) And if I think back on a lot of my favorite places, or places I have visited, a lot of my favorite memories revolve about the good food I have had while I was there (which, as I think about it, is probably a little unusual).... I was so excited yesterday because I was looking through this coffee table/cookbook I had on food from Italy and there was a recipe in it for Fried Zucchini Flowers, which was one of my favorite things from Florence, Italy when I visited there after high school.....
And I could never be a professional bodybuilder because by nature, to succeed, you need to redefine food as simply fuel and I enjoy food and the variety of tastes too much. I have a friend who competes in amateur body building competitions and when she is preparing for a competition all she eats is plain grilled checken breast and dry salad....... I would be bald if I had to survive on that!!!
I love the variety and diversity of food...... Okay now, what was I talking about.... Oh yeah, well.....more dessert for me!!! :-)
Okay, so now I just think they are from another planet!! Doesn't like desserts, likes vegatables.... Is this phone being tapped!?!?! Should I get away from the windows before I get abducted by aliens?!??Actually, I have been thinking a lot about the importance that food has in my life, especially as I talk to new people.... And this is not just an emotional eating thing.... perhaps it is more an emotional cooking thing.... I like to eat but I also really like to cook, to experiment in the kitchen and to produce something that tastes great and brings people joy. I have a bookcase exclusively for cookbooks that is overflowing and even with that I routinely look for new recipes on the internet.... I hae developed forensic tastebuds, I am always trying to isolate the ingredients in the food I taste. I get inspiration from food I taste, and ingredient I see, magazines I read, a cooking show I watch and decide to cook something new just for the fun of it........I enjoy grocery shopping........ (What!? Okay now I am sure that you really think I am crazy!) I am excited by vacuum sealers, Danish filled pancake pans and hazelnut oil..... (yes, she is a straight loon!!)
I have loved cooking since I was like 10-11, when i discovered that I could cook dinner for my parents as an anniversary gift and get them to pay for the ingredients! ;-) And if I think back on a lot of my favorite places, or places I have visited, a lot of my favorite memories revolve about the good food I have had while I was there (which, as I think about it, is probably a little unusual).... I was so excited yesterday because I was looking through this coffee table/cookbook I had on food from Italy and there was a recipe in it for Fried Zucchini Flowers, which was one of my favorite things from Florence, Italy when I visited there after high school.....And I could never be a professional bodybuilder because by nature, to succeed, you need to redefine food as simply fuel and I enjoy food and the variety of tastes too much. I have a friend who competes in amateur body building competitions and when she is preparing for a competition all she eats is plain grilled checken breast and dry salad....... I would be bald if I had to survive on that!!!
I love the variety and diversity of food...... Okay now, what was I talking about.... Oh yeah, well.....more dessert for me!!! :-)
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